<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Over the past week, the four big US wireless carriers have made two things clear: They’re easily spooked, and competition works.” data-reactid=”14″>Over the past week, the four big US wireless carriers have made two things clear: They’re easily spooked, and competition works.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="From Feb. 12&nbsp;through Feb. 17, a cascading series of rate cuts and service-plan liberalizations have seen the price of unlimited data plans tumble from a high of infinity to, at worst, $100.” data-reactid=”15″>From Feb. 12 through Feb. 17, a cascading series of rate cuts and service-plan liberalizations have seen the price of unlimited data plans tumble from a high of infinity to, at worst, $100.

Unlimited-data domino theory

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The pricing battle&nbsp;started when&nbsp;Verizon (VZ) made a surprise&nbsp;announcement on Feb. 12 saying the company would start selling unlimited data plans for&nbsp;$80 for a single line without the kind of video streaming and hotspot limits T-Mobile (TMUS) imposed on its $70 unlimited plan. ” data-reactid=”17″>The pricing battle started when Verizon (VZ) made a surprise announcement on Feb. 12 saying the company would start selling unlimited data plans for $80 for a single line without the kind of video streaming and hotspot limits T-Mobile (TMUS) imposed on its $70 unlimited plan.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="T-Mobile then quickly responded by saying it would lift both of those restrictions, adding a 10 GB tethering allowance and letting&nbsp;subscribers stream high-def video. ” data-reactid=”18″>T-Mobile then quickly responded by saying it would lift both of those restrictions, adding a 10 GB tethering allowance and letting subscribers stream high-def video.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The carriers’ plans still have their individual downsides, of course. AT&amp;T, for example, bans tethering on its “unlimited” plan, while Verizon’s offering requires that you give up any employee or educational discounts and enable autopay from a checking account or debit card to qualify for&nbsp;the lowest monthly price. ” data-reactid=”20″>The carriers’ plans still have their individual downsides, of course. AT&T, for example, bans tethering on its “unlimited” plan, while Verizon’s offering requires that you give up any employee or educational discounts and enable autopay from a checking account or debit card to qualify for the lowest monthly price.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="And all four carriers reserve the right to “deprioritize” your data — send it to the back of the digital line&nbsp;behind other users’ — if you use too much. AT&amp;T and Verizon set that limit at 22 GB, while Sprint draws the line at&nbsp;23 GB. T-Mobile starts to slow things down at 28 GB should the company’s network becomes congested in your vicinity.” data-reactid=”21″>And all four carriers reserve the right to “deprioritize” your data — send it to the back of the digital line behind other users’ — if you use too much. AT&T and Verizon set that limit at 22 GB, while Sprint draws the line at 23 GB. T-Mobile starts to slow things down at 28 GB should the company’s network becomes congested in your vicinity.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="“All the signs for the complete return of unlimited were hiding in plain sight,” said Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner, who pointed to the increasing capacity of Verizon’s network,&nbsp;as well asthe shrinking gap between Verizon and T-Mobile’s coverage areas as evidence for the change. ” data-reactid=”25″>“All the signs for the complete return of unlimited were hiding in plain sight,” said Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner, who pointed to the increasing capacity of Verizon’s network, as well asthe shrinking gap between Verizon and T-Mobile’s coverage areas as evidence for the change.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="AT&amp;T, meanwhile, couldn’t just ignore Verizon’s moves considering Big Red is the company’s closest&nbsp;competitor. “When one does something significant, the other cannot fight the urge to respond in kind,” Entner said.&nbsp;“It just highlights how vigorous and intense the competition is in wireless.” ” data-reactid=”26″>AT&T, meanwhile, couldn’t just ignore Verizon’s moves considering Big Red is the company’s closest competitor. “When one does something significant, the other cannot fight the urge to respond in kind,” Entner said. “It just highlights how vigorous and intense the competition is in wireless.”

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Don’t expect these lower unlimited data costs to rubber band back to their highs, either. In this four-company market, there’s too much competition for any one carrier&nbsp;to expect others to follow suit if it raises rates.” data-reactid=”27″>Don’t expect these lower unlimited data costs to rubber band back to their highs, either. In this four-company market, there’s too much competition for any one carrier to expect others to follow suit if it raises rates.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="That’s not to say home broadband represents some sort of American nightmare. Most of us have connections that seem fast enough, get faster every year and work most of the time. But if our Internet provider disappoints us, we can’t fire it.” data-reactid=”37″>That’s not to say home broadband represents some sort of American nightmare. Most of us have connections that seem fast enough, get faster every year and work most of the time. But if our Internet provider disappoints us, we can’t fire it.

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